It has been confirmed that Previous WWE star Elias has reflected on his memorable 2018 portion with Kevin Owens in Seattle, revealing that the backstage reaction was just as positive as the crowd reaction was loud.
Speaking with GOW MEDIA, Elias was asked whether he expected the intense response after mocking Seattle’s one-time NBA franchise — the SuperSonics, during an in-ring promo alongside Owens. “For months, this act—this shtick, whatever you want to call it—had been building. I would go out there, do my catchphrase, and say something about the town, whatever the moment was. Yet I could not have predicted what happened in Seattle.”
Elias admitted he initially questioned whether the SuperSonics reference would generate the reaction WWE anticipated. There was a writer there, Kaz—I don’t know if you know him, awesome guy. “I actually even doubted it a little bit heading in. I remember him telling me, ‘Oh, this line is going to hit.’ I was like, ‘Are you sure?’ He noted, ‘Oh, yeah.’”
Based on Elias, the response was unlike anything he had experienced. “Sure enough, when I made the comment about the basketball team in Seattle, the reaction was beyond anything I could have likely. Now, as you know, it’s one of the most infamously long, powerful boos in modern WWE history.”
Elias mentioned everyone off-camera was thrilled with how it played out, although the portion ran significantly longer than planned. “When I got backstage afterward, we had gone well over our allotted time, which is a substantial deal on live television. You have to be very aware of that because every 30 seconds that goes by costs money.”
Including Paul Heyman, he recalled receiving praise from WWE management. “I just remember the boss was super happy with it and shook my hand. That’s how a pro does it.’” I also remember Paul Heyman screaming about how awesome the situation was, saying, ‘You handled that like a main eventer.
Looking back, Elias declared the moment exceeded even his own expectations. “The situation was a really awesome experience all around. Beyond that, i can’t say it was completely unexpected, on the flip side it definitely exceeded my expectations.”